2021 Audi SQ7: True Cost, Problems & Verdict

6 NHTSA owner complaints · 6 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.

Audi SQ7

Owner complaints: 6 filed with NHTSA

Complaints per year on the road: 1.2

Electrical System3Engine2Forward Collision Avoidance2Back Over Prevention1

What owners say

Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.

The contact owns a 2021 Audi SQ7. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V201000 (Electrical System). The contact scheduled an appointment with a local dealer; however, the dealer advised the contact that the USB ports needed to be repaired to complete the recall repair. The contact had never used the ports and was unaware of the failure prior to the recall notification. The vehicle was not rep…
The contact owns a 2021 Audi SQ7. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the instrument cluster became inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V201000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer …
The presense and parking and lane change and rear warning lights go on. Have had the sensors changed and recalibrated. Been to dealership 3 times without a solution. Not sure if the system is functioning or not as is sporadic

Recalls: 6 campaigns (2 severe)

202120222025
CampaignComponentSummary
21V606000Seat Belts:Rear/Other:RetractorVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, S5 Sportback, S6…
22V742000Back Over Prevention:Display FunctionVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8, RS7, RS6 Avant, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, Q8, Q7, Q5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, Q5, A7, A6, A6 Allroad, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, A5 Cabrioleet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, SQ7, S5 Cabriolet, E-Tron Quattro, SQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ5, S8, S7, S6 Sedan, S5 Sportback,…
21V339000EngineVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi SQ7, RSQ8, RS7, RS6 AVANT, and SQ8 vehicles.
25V900000Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: CameraVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2026 vehicles.
22V034000TiresVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8…
25V201000Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/PanelVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 SQ8, A6 SEDAN, A7, A8, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S6 SEDAN, S7, S8, A6 Allroad, and SQ7 vehicles.

What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes

Class-level estimates, priced as a large premium car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.

Typical price today $43,100–$62,100 used market, 2026
You lose to depreciation $3,970/year $19,800 over five years
Price when new (2021)$93,300
Worth in five years$32,800
Depreciation, five years$19,800
Insurance, five years$12,900–$19,800
Fuel and maintenance, five years$29,212
Five-year cost of owning it$65,362
Per mile driven, at 12,000 miles a year$1.09

What it costs to run

EPA combined 17 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $4,450

Fuel (your region)$4,450
Maintenance band (your region) $749–$1,476
Estimated running cost this year (age 5) $5,562
Range across the maintenance band $5,199–$5,926
Next five years, running cost $29,212

Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.

02468101214$7,776vehicle age (years)
fuel/energy + maintenance band, annual — US dollars, estimate

Run your own numbers in the true-cost calculator →

What this car's problems cost to fix

Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.

  • Electrical System3 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
  • Engine2 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
  • Forward Collision Avoidance2 complaints · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration (3.0 h labour + parts)$780–$2,160
  • Back Over Prevention1 complaints · typical job: Reversing camera or park-sensor replacement (2.0 h labour + parts)$420–$940

FAQ

What is the most common problem with the 2021 Audi SQ7?

The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Electrical System (3 complaints in our indexed sample).

Is the 2021 Audi SQ7 a good used car to buy?

Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 79/100, computed from 6 NHTSA complaints and 6 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.

How much does it cost to fix the 2021 Audi SQ7's most common problem?

3 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2021 Audi SQ7 sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement: about 3.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $540–$1,310 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.

What does a 2021 Audi SQ7 cost to run per year?

About $5,842 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $29,212 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.

Does the 2021 Audi SQ7 have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 6 recall campaign(s) for the 2021 Audi SQ7, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 05/08/2021. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.

What will a 2021 Audi SQ7 really cost YOU per year?

Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.

Open the true-cost calculator

Data sources

Complaints & recalls: NHTSA · Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov · Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements. Last updated: 2026-10-04.

79RELIABILITY / 100
BUY

Thin evidence — 6 complaints, 6 recalls on record

Typical price today$43,100–$62,100used market estimate · the full money picture
Running cost, next 5 years$29,212fuel/energy + maintenance band midpoint · estimate
  • 6 NHTSA complaints on record (1.2/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (0.8/yr)
  • 6 recall campaigns, 2 touching safety-critical systems
  • Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality

How this score is computed →